Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of the former president's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.
